A Fallen Perspective
by GraniteTitan
Summary: For 200 years, the Fallen were the enemy. Few considered who they were and what they had gone through. That changed 100 years ago, with the Unification bringing the two races together. 100 years later, the discovery of a journal of a Fallen Captain sheds light on a race caught struggling to survive in the war between Light and Dark.
1. The Beginning

A Fallen Perspective

(Translated from the journal of the Devil Kell Drakiks before his death. It gives great insight into the life of our former enemy, and an in depth view of his instrumental help in the Unification. May the reader learn much from his words-Ikora Rey)

I am Drakiks. My people, The Eliksni, were once visited by the Great Machine. However, a great Whirlwind came and destroyed what had been gifted to us. We fled, and because of our limited Ether, we fought each other. House Scar, Stone, and Rain were thought destroyed, and we wandered the stars for eons, searching for the Great Machine. I was born during that time. I had been born 150 Earth years after what the humans call the Collapse came. My House was House Devils. My mother was Malcsis, Devil Vandal. My Father was Taniks, Devil Baron. I was an illegitimate child, therefore I could not receive the benefits other Baron children receive. My Father had disowned me.

When I had reached 25 years of age, I had no one. My mother was killed in a attack by the Humans, and my father had broken away with a ketch and Devils and became a mercenary. When I was 30, the Devils, Kings, and Winter attacked the City. The Wolves were supposed to join, but they never came. They told us this was the time for our rise. To retake the Great Machine. They told us this was the day we would be Fallen no more. I did not join the attack, I was left behind to stand guard. I could hear the battle range. The boom of their canons, the roars of our walkers. When the Devils returned, I knew what had happened. I didn't see victors, roaring and shooting and celebrating. I saw weary, tired, and defeated soldiers, who's morale was so low they couldn't even respond when I asked what happened. All this blood spilled, and nothing to show. Many had left, and I heard they formed a House on Earth's moon, called House Exile. I became disheartened, seeing my bretheren so low.

But it was worse. These humans launched a counter attack, for revenge. I didn't see why. They had won, what else did they want. They struck hard and fast, over whelming our first line of defenses. I was to stand guard and watch the entrance.

It was cold. My coat could not fully cover me, and my top two arms were numb. I was watching the back entrance to our base. The metal of my Wire Rifle was cold to the touch. I never liked the winters. Our gear freezes, and many die to the cold. Nothing ever happens out here. I remember wishing I was at the front, getting revenge for our loss. Then, I noticed something. Out in the white snow was a black object, kicking up snow as it moved. Whatever it was, it was moving fast. I grabbed my wire rifle, and looked through the scope. It was a Guardian, wearing black armor and a helmet that glowed purple light out of a slit down the middle, riding a sparrow towards the back entrance. I snarled. I hated Guardians. Not only did they steal the Great Machine, but they have the ordacity to use its power for their own selfish reasons. I warmed up the rifle, and prepared to take my shot.

"Hold" said a voice behind me. I looked back to see my Captain, Arkis, behind me.

"Why? He'll sneak in if I don't!" Arkis looked at me with contempt. He grunted.

"Solkis knows this one is coming. It's a prodigy of the humans leader. He wants to personally kill the Guardian's best." I dare not disobey an order from Solkis the Devil Kell. I would've been docked and demoted to Dreg. I lowered my Wire Rifle, and watched the Guardian zip by. It was one of the greatest mistakes I ever made. Several hours later, I learned. The Guardian had killed Solkis. House Devils was now without a Kell.

"You have failed your Kell! Your insolence will get you killed if they are merciful." Arksis was going to betray me.

"But you ordered me to not fire!"

"Lies! You will suffer for not taking the chance to save your Kell!" Arksis turned around, and started to go to the exit of the Skiff. I knew that if he told this lie to the House, they would believe him. Devils were looking for someone to blame, and wouldn't care if the victim was guilty or innocent. I couldn't let that happen. So I did the unthinkable. I took out a Shock Dagger, and did the unthinkable. I stabbed my Captain in the back. I covered his mouth to muffle his scream. I stabbed him twice more in the back, and slashed his legs so he couldn't run. He was bleeding, but not enough to die quickly. I could give him another 24 hours before he died. I quickly hid him in my room, next to my loot stash. I searched him, finding a small supply of Ether, a Shock Pistol, and his two Shock Swords. But my most important find was the key to his quarters. He was too weak to call for help, so I would raid his room for loot. I snuck to his quarters, and looted it. I found a large amount of Ether, a Shrapnel Launcher, several machines from the human Golden Age, but I found 2 of the most important things that mattered most. A Scorch Canon, and a human Machine gun. I took all of the loot and hid it in a hidden storage compartment in my room. Now was to frame Arksis. I dragged him out of the Skiff, and towards the Kells throne. Most of my brethren would be there, to mourn our Kell. I entered the room, to a crowd of Devils. They all looked back at me, and quickly backed away. I dragged him up to just in front of the throne, and faced the crowd.

"My fellow Devils, I have found a traitor among us! I was there, watching as the Guardian that killed our Kell, zipped past. I aimed to take a shot, but my captain threatened to kill me if I took the shot. After the death of our Mighty Kell, he tried to kill me, as I was the only one to witness his treachery. But I outsmarted him, and incapacitated him. I present the traitorous swine to you for Judgment!" I then threw Arkis towards the crowd, and he fell in front of them. 4 Vandals picked him up, the whole crowd roaring and howling, and carried him to a skiff. Me and a few other Devils boarded alongside, and we took off. I looked at Arksis the whole time, as he slowly bled to death.

"Where are we taking him?" I asked. The Vandal next to the Pilot Servitor looked back at me.

"The one place where he will face unimaginable punishment, and pay judgment for his treachery and deception against Kell and House." I instantly knew where we were heading. I looked at Arksis' face. He looked back at me, his bright blue eyes dimming and his face pale. I felt pity for him. But it was his choice. He made this happen when he tried to frame me, not me. We stopped, right in front of the Hive lair, and turned off cloaking mode. 2 Vandals lowered him down to the ground. We didn't drop him. We wanted him alive when the Hive started to experiment on him. We took off, and reactivated cloaking mode. Looking back, I know see Solkis dying was what started me and the Eliksni on their journey to what we are today. But I didn't know such things at the time. But I did feel a little something inside of me. A little spark. Maybe Solkis dying wasn't so bad after all.


	2. Next Step

**(10 years later)**

It had been 10 years after the death of our Kell. Much had changed in Devils. I was now a captain, having my own crew and my own skiff. Many respect me now, and I treat my crew with care. Our Archon Priest has effectively taken over as both Kell and Priest. He leads the House, and communicate's with the Prime Servitor. House Devils had been experiencing increased Hive activity, and attempts to contain it has failed. More of these Seeders come, and i feared that we would be overrun by these creatures of evil. At this time, I had been changed. I wasn't the Eliksni I once was. I had become something Many of my brethren saw as a weakness. I had become merciful. I forgave my crew for their failures, and many saw it as weakness. I saw it as strength, as my crew had more trust in me and in each other because of it.

I've become a seasoned war veteran, having fought in many battles against the Hive and the Guardians. I will share one such encounter between me and the Hive. It had been a normal patrol mission. Me and my crew were searching for possible Hive presence, and to be sure the Kings weren't encroaching on our territory. Instead, we discovered by an entire Hive colony. Knights, acolytes, thralls, and witches. I thought we had awaken the entire colony.

"AKON DUCK!" i roared. Akon, one of the Vandals in my crew, leaped back, narrowly avoiding a blast from one of the Hive boomers. Thrall streamed out of the colony ship, heading straight for us.

"Form a defensive line. Find cover!" I shouted as a pulled out my Shrapnel Launcher. I fired 3 times in quick succession, killing 2 thrall and injuring another. I saw over the crowd of thrall were acolytes along with a few knights. I grunted in frustration. We didn't have the firepower to take them out, and so we needed to call for backup. A thrall leaped out at me, its claws ready to tear apart my flesh. On instinct, i pulled out my Shock Dagger and stabbed it in the neck. The thrall melted into a pile of ash and pieces of exoskeleton. I fired my shrapnel launcher again, killing another thrall. My arc shield glowed blue as it was hit by two Hive Shredders. It was hit by 3 more before i dived into cover. I looked back at one of my vandals on top of the hill, taking sniper shots.

"Tarkik, go call for reinforcements!" i shouted. He didn't respond, and kept taking shots. I thought he didn't hear me, but i knew he simply didn't want to leave. He was a hot shot, wanting to take glory and get kills. In anger, i fired a shot at him. It made a small explosion right next time him. He was startled and jumped, then looked at me.

"NOW!" He nodded, and ran back. I turned back towards the Hive, and the situation had gotten worse. 2 of my dregs were dead, and another was limping back to cover. I was about to leave cover to help him, but before i could, a Hive Boomer struck him right in the back, splattering him across the ground. I saw a Knight holding a cleaver in his hand, directing where they should go. I saw he was the leader of this group. I thought if I could reach him, and kill him, I could end the battle. I leapt into action, throwing a shock grenade and firing with my shrapnel launcher. The Shock grenade killed 3 thrall, and my shots killed 2 acolytes. I unsheathed one of my shock blades, charging into the crowd. 5 thrall all jumped at me in sync. I swung my blade into their path, beheading all of them, spraying their ash back. I shot 2 acolytes, and punched another in the face. Next I knew, a Hive boomer exploded right in front of me. It's close proximity and blast radius caused my shields to glow then wink out of existence, and I was thrown back by the force. I flew back about 8 or 9 feet, then slamming on my back into the ground. The thralls and acolytes charged in for the kill.

"CAPTAIN!" yelled Pekik as he charged forward. He took several shots with his shock rifle, then threw it on the ground and unsheathed 2 shock blades. he slashed and hacked, cutting down several thrall. However, he got hit twice by the Hive shredders. As he stumbled back, hands cupping his wounds, a thrall leaped forward and swiped him in the face. His facial armor tore, making a huge gash in his face and taking out his 2 inner eyes. He roared in pain, desperately trying to get it away from him. More thrall came in, ready to tear him open. All while this was happening, I had gotten up and narrowly avoided Shredder fire. I beheaded all of the thrall on him, saving Pekik's life. I quickly dragged him back, to meet up with my 2 vandals and 4 dregs in the rear. I dragged him behind cover and set him down. I looked at the Vandal across from me, named Raliks.

"Don't let this one die" I said to him. He nodded. He couldn't speak, due to the fact he had no tongue. He had been a dreg once. I looked back to the battle, and noticed a knight carrying a Cleaver charging right towards us. I threw my shrapnel launcher on the ground, and unsheathed my other blade. My blue shields winked back on, the blue light casting a glow on my face. I let out a roar of challenge, and charged at the knight. The knight roared in response and charged as well. I noticed the other Hive ignoring as, like they knew this was a personal battle. It swung its Cleaver in an overhead down cut. I side stepped it, and made two swipes at its side. One of my blades just scrapped its armor. The other found a chink, spraying its ashy blood everywhere. The knight roared in pain and anger, and made a left swipe. I positioned my blades and feet to brace and block the blow. But the knights swing was too much, pushing me back and throwing me off balance. The knight seized the advantage, charging into me and throwing me into the front of an old car. The entire remain squealed as the metal was mangled, and I hit it with such force it was pushed back. I felt excruciating pain in my back, and knew that I tore a muscle. The knight was standing right over me, raising its Cleaver to behead me. On instinct, I kicked it in the chest. I was able to kick it back far enough that the Cleaver land right in front of my head. I narrowly avoided being decapitated. I quickly got up, and charged at it. I was able to sink one of my blades through an opening in its armor, sinking my blade into its body. The knight gave no sound, and simply raised its Cleaver for another strike. I swung around to its back, and charged my other blade into its back. I stabbed it with such force that my blade broke through its armor and going into its back. It roared with agony as it fell forward, my blade in its back. I quickly leaped onto its back, and shoved the blade down further. It went like this for 3 seconds, before I sunk my blade even further into its back. The knight let out one last roar, then disintegrated into ash. I wheezed and I huffed. I pressed a button on my side, and Ether flowed through the tube and into my mouth. I breathed it in, and felt the pain diminish and my strength return. I turned left, and was met by a Boomer blast. It struck right into my shields. They held, then winked out, leaving what was left of the blast to slam into my body. I instantly felt searing pain in my chest, as my armor and skin melted. I was thrown back, into the ground about 8 feet away. I lay there wheezing and gasping, barely able to draw breath due to the pain of moving my chest. I lay there for several seconds, chest barely rising and falling in quick succession. A shadow was cast over me, as another knight stood over me, Boomer in hand. So this is how I end, I had thought. My skull crushed by a knight's fist. The knight raised its fist.

"Drakiks!" I heard a voice yell. A vandal jumped seemingly out of nowhere, its cloaking turned off. It slammed its shock blades into the knight. One in its neck and the other in its midsection. _We didn't have a stealth vandal_ I thought. _It must be reinforcements._ I looked to my right, and saw 2 skiffs offloading 2 cargo's. One was more troops. The other was a spider walker. I stayed conscious long enough to see the spider walker fire its main gun, obliterating a group of Hive. Then everything went dark.


	3. Healing

I awoke lying on a metal bed. I instantly felt the pain in my chest and back, and tasted a mixture of blood and Ether in my mouth. I mustered the strength to crane my neck to look down. I saw wire's and tubes connecting to my chest. I noticed i had a breathing tube. _I must have trouble breathing on my own. Curse that Knight to the Whirlwind!_ I thought. I simply lied there, waiting. The I remembered. _Pekik! That bastard is always jumping into action, trying to save others_ I thought to myself. I lay there for several minutes, torturing myself over Pekik's condition. Finally, the door to the room slid open. In walked a Captain, 2 Vandals, and a Servitor.

"I see you're awake" the Captain said. I couldn't muster any words, so i just nodded. The Captain turned towards the Servitor and the Vandals, saying something i couldn't hear. They all walked back near me, the Servitor hovering right next to me bed.

"I think hes ready." The 2 Vandals slowly began to remove the tubes and the wires. I grunted and squirmed in pain, as the removed my breathing tube. As soon as all the tubes and wires were removed, the Servitor begin to release Purple energy onto my chest. I instantly felt the pressure on my lungs release, and the pain in my chest begin to fade. The Servitor was using its ability to produce Ether to heal me. I turned my head towards the Captain.

"Pekik?" I asked.

"That vandal of yours was foolish. He nearly got himself killed. He'll live, put he'll have a permanent scar on his face, and hes lost his 2 inner eyes." I sighed in relief, and felt some of the stress go away. _At least he's alive_ I thought.

"How'd the fight go?"

"That Hive colony you found was quite a big one. It took 12 hours to finally quell their forces, and even then, we haven't defeated the colony. We lost 48, and the Walker was damaged. But we have you to thank, for if you didn't find that colony, they may have grown even stronger." I nodded, and looked down at my chest. It was nearly fully healed, the flesh tying together.

"Once I fully recover, will I be allowed back in the field?"

"The Archon personally ordered that you not immediately return to action. For the time being, you'll be set to guard duty." I sighed. Guard duty was uneventful and boring. If you're in the wrong place.

"What will be our assigned sector?"

"The Breach." I moaned. The Breach was desolate and barren. Nothing but rusty remains and the bones of Humans. The Servitor stopped emitting the purple energy, and beeped as a sign it was finished. I moved around, and felt no chest pain, no difficulty breathing. I tried to get up, and immediately fell to my knees.

"Why do I still feel pain in my back!?"

"Clearly you've never been healed by a Servitor. They can only heal external injuries, not internal." I grimaced as the 2 Vandals helped me to my feet. _Cursed Servitors. They can heal injuries and make Ether, yet not heal wounds inside the body?_ I thought. I left the room, and after some searching, found my Skiff. I went inside, to find my crew carrying out the daily tasks. Felik, the master mechanic. Tarkik, the sniper. Mekas, the swordsmen. And Skolik, the master of stealth.

"Glad to see your still kicking, Drakiks. Wouldn't want to see you die hooked up to some tubes" Said Tarkik. I snarled. Tarkik had no respect for his crew or his superior's. Yet he earned his place her, so he will remain.

"So, who'd we lose?"

"All 13 of our dregs, along with Makiks and Akon. Pekik is alive, but unfit for duty." I grimaced, our crew had taken heavy casualties.

"So boss, where to next?" asked Felik, coming out of the engine room, covered in hydraulic fluid.

"We're guarding the Breach." The entire room echoed with the sighs and moans of the crew.

"Why're we gettin' punished? If it weren't for us, that colony would be preparing for an attack on the House!"

"This is humiliating. Only the rookies get assigned to the Breach!"

"Calm down all of you. Riksis himself wanted us to take this assignment. He would have good reason to send us there." The room became silent.

"What reason would he have for sending us there?"

"I do not know yet, but I'm sure we'll find out." The room rustled.

"Who knows, this might not be so bad. I could get some good target practice in" said Tarkik. I moved to the command bridge, where our Pilot Servitor was.

"Set a course to the Breach." The Servitor beeped in response, and the ship began to move. _Maybe it won't be too_ uneventful. _Maybe something will happen after all._


	4. It Awakens

**1 Hour Later**

The cool, crisp wind flowed through my cape. It smelled of rain and rotting plants. I was surrounded by the rusty remains of human vehicles, many of which still contained the bones of their owners. Many of our race had theorized what had happened to the humans before our arrival. Some told of a great war, that the humans turned on each other, which reflects there selfish, violent, self-destructive ways. I did not believe this, for the Great Machine does not bestow power on those so violent. After all, we were even more divided then the humans where when the Great Machine reached us. Another theory is that they faced the Great Machine's enemy, that they faced their own Whirlwind, much like our ancestors. Those stories were shunned, especially by the House leadership. Such stories made the humans seem similar to us, which does not bode well when facing them. The House leadership needs us to believe our enemies are unfeeling demons. Bodes better for moral and combat. I never believed either stories. We should focus and the present and the future, rather than lament on the past. The sun's orange glow slowly faded to red as the sun went down. As desolate as this planet is, it has the best sunsets of them all.

"Any activity?" Tarkik as growing impatient. Not only was he reckless, he was impatient. The good hunter always knows how to wait for the opportune moment.

"None so far" I said in reply.

"The suns going down soon. We should return to base."

"And where's the fun in that?" Skolik asked. "The best hunts are always at night." Tarkik huffed in response. Skolik always understood how to have a good hunt.

"We don't even know what we're hunting. I thought we were on guard duty anyways."

"In the Breach, never. There's been no hostile activity anywhere near here since we set up shop way back when, and that's not likely to change. We're here to hunt something, something we have overlooked. Riksis is always one step ahead of the rest of us." I looked back. Solkis was more in tune to the situation then I thought. Riksis was always one step ahead, predicting our opponents moves before we even had any idea what was happening. He was never wrong. The pain in my back reminded me I wasn't in best form. Suddenly, I heard a noise. It was mechanical, so it wasn't the surrounding organic life. It was click, and a whirl. Then I heard it again. We weren't alone.

"Shut up" I said. The crew understood, and listened. The sound was there again, and this time we all heard it. The mechanical clicking and whirl. _Have the Vex finally made it to Earth?_ I wondered. No, the Vex always made mechanical stomps and whines. This was airborne. And it was moving away. I quickly unhooked my Wire Rifle, and started to carefully follow the noise. My crew did the same. We followed it for a minute, then stopped once we saw we were overlooking a bunch of vehicles. I saw something move. It was white. I quickly looked through the scope of my Wire Rifle, searching or this mystery object. Finally I saw it. It was one of those things that can revive the dead, no matter the injury or what was left. They always follow their Guardian companions, never leaving their side. It was what I now know as a Ghost.

"It's a Ghost, just as I thought."

"Hold on, a Ghost? Way out here?" Tarkik was always slow. I activated my comlink.

"Command, this is patrol 104. We've found a lone Ghost operating in Sector 2 of the Breach. Have the guards inside the Breach prepare for imminent combat. Tell Riksis I will bring him his prize." My crew was dumbfounded, confused what was happening.

"Boss, what's going o-" Felik was cut off by my roar, signaling the vandals hiding behind us too attack. We charged forward, ready to retrieve the Ghost. Ghost's are never alone, except when looking for a new Guardian. We couldn't let it revive one, because it would make the situation worse 10 fold. Not that I couldn't handle it. It wouldn't be the first Guardian I faced. I heard a loud whoosh, a sound I usually hear when a Guardian is revived. I ran faster desperate to prevent a new Guardian from rising. I saw a black shape start to move away from the vehicles and into the open. It was a human, clad in dark clothing. I was too late. It was making it's way to the Breach, to go inside. I slowed down.

"Why are we slowing down?" asked one of the Vandals.

"It's running right into our trap. The guards inside can handle a newly born Guardian." I looked back to see my crew, running to catch up. We all stopped, to catch our breath.

"Boss, what's going on?" asked Mekas.

"A Ghost has just revived a Guardian, and we're chasing them."

"Obviously, but how did you know?"

"I didn't. Riksis said that something would be here. That team was hidden here just in case." The crew seemed to understand. Suddenly, we heard gunfire coming from inside the Breach.

"The Guardian!"

"We need to catch up." Everyone agreed. We ran into the Breach, following the stairs in. After about a minute, we started to come across the bodies. Some intact, others headless, others blown to bits by tripping their own trip mines. I became nauseous with disgust, but I kept moving, we couldn't afford to stop. While we were running, we heard a loud boom, and it made the entire building shake. _Must be the Ketch arriving_ I thought. We kept running past all the bodies and carnage. After a few minutes of running, we finally made it outside. We had reached the Divide. Once we reached the clearing, what I saw did not inspire hope or confidence. More bodies, everywhere. Off in the distance, I saw a black shape entering a shack. _That must be the Guardian!_ I thought. We followed, and made it to the outer Divide. We found even more bodies. We heard gunfire coming from a neighboring building. We ran inside. What we found shocked us. Riksis, the Devil Archon, with two sniper vandals, staring out of a giant hole in the ceiling. I looked out as well, to find a jumpship zooming away. We had failed. The Guardian had escaped.


	5. Saved

"You fools! Not only did you let the Guardian escape, but with a Jumpship! It'll likely go to the City! They'll return with an army!" Baron Vanisk was angry. And rightly so. We let a Guardian slip by with a jumpship and killing dozens of us. The House leadership will kill us if they're merciful. I don't want to be a dreg. A Servitor cam bumbling through, and beeped several times. Vasik nodded, and looked back at me and my crew.

"Riksis will see you know. Pray he be merciful." Tarkik gulped. We were moved to a large room, presumably the throne room. There was Riksis, the Archon, standing before us. He was far taller than me.

"Draksis, do you know why I brought you here?"

"Yes sir. We allowed a Guardian escape."

"Precisely. You let him escape, add a new enemy to our lists, and thin our ranks. Correct?"

"Yes."

"Do you know the punishment for such a transgression?" My heart raced. I looked at him, eyes full of fear. I was terrified so I didn't say anything.

"A pity. I thought you were different. Kill them all, except for Drakiks. Dock him. Make him a dreg." I stared at him terrified. Two vandlas came out of hiding, carrying heavy swords.

"You can't do this! This isn't fair!" yelled Felik

"On the contrary. It was because of you the Guardian escaped. There's no one else who's fault it was." I simply said nothing. He was right, there's no where else to place the blame. Everything stooped by a massive whirl, even Riksis seemed surprised. Out of the dark in the back of the room came Sepiks Prime, the Prime Servitor. Everyone in the room fell to the ground, bowing, including me. Even Riksis kneeled.

"What is it my Prime?" The massive Servitor beeped in response.

"What of the Captain?" I looked up. _Why would it talk about me?_ It continued to make beeps and whines.

"If you'll forgive my questioning, Sepiks, why? He failed us." Sepiks beeped.

"Yes, he has killed one before, but that's no reason he can't do it again." The Servitor whined. Riksis said nothing for several moments.

"Of course, Sepiks. Your wisdom is ceaseless." Riksis stood, and turned to us.

"Release them." Our constraints were taken off. We were stunned. The Servitor disappeared, teleported away. Riksis and his entourage turned to leave. But I had a question that needed answering.

"Wait! My lord, only you understand the Servitors. What did Sepiks say?" Riksis stopped, and looked back at me.

"He said you're more useful to us alive than dead." Riksis turned back around, and left. I couldn't believe a PRIME SERVITOR requested me and my crew be left alive. I had been humbled by this encounter. I had been given a second chance, and I didn't intend to waste it.


	6. Prepare

**10 days later**

It had been several days since I was saved by Sepiks Prime. Our Archon Priest, Riksis, was slain. By the very same Guardian I failed to extinguish. The guilt I felt was crushing. Twice I have failed to uphold my duty to protect my House. I let our Kell die, and now our Archon. There have been whispers that I'm a traitor, a spy sent b the humans. I know there were some that wished me dead. But none would dare kill me, fearing the wrath of Sepiks Prime. However my crew remains ever loyal, and many of my trusted friends still believe in me. Never before has a Prime Servitor in any House ever requested an Eliksni be spared. It knew I was destined for something. I just didn't know what. It was sunrise, and the House was beginning to rise from its slumber. A watchmen, who stood guard came running in to the meeting hall.

"Hive! Near Devils Head! They're going after Sepiks!" The entire House was awake after that. We already lost our Kell and Archon. Losing our Prime Servitor would mean the death of House Devils. We couldn't allow that to happen. Kells and Archon's can be replaced. Prime Servitor's can't. Me and my crew prepared for battle, getting every weapon we could.

"Where we going boss?" asked Felik.

"The Rocket yard. That's where the heaviest fighting is." Tarkik smiled.

"Perfect" he said. I rolled my eyes. Only Tarkik would be excited at the possibility of death. We finished getting our gear ready, and I went to the cockpit. The Pilot Servitor whirred in response.

"Set course for the Rocket yard. We don't want to keep Sepiks waiting." The Servitor beeped in response, and the whole ship came to life. The Skiff came up, and began to take off.

"Make sure we have cloaking active. I'd rather the ship not be damaged." The Servitor again beeped, and the ship whirled, signaling that cloaking was activated. I made my way to the main cabin, where my crew waited.

"Alright, so what's the mission?" asked Mekis.

"We're going on a strike. Our target is a Hive witch who seems to be orchestrating the attack. Most of our forces our currently preoccupied holding off the main Hive offensive. We're going behind enemy lines to take out that Witch, and stop the assault. Under no circumstances do we allow them to reach Sepiks Prime."

"But boss, wont she be guarded by some of their most experienced soldiers?" asked Felik.

"Unlikely. The Hive know our leadership has taken some serious hits. They're attempting to take out Sepiks. We lose Sepiks, the Devils will be lost and the Hive will have the run of the Cosmodrome. We cannot allow that to happen. All of their most experienced troops will be at the frontlines, trying to reach Sepiks."

"What of the Kings. We share a common enemy in the Hive. Won't they be providing assistance?" Skolik asked, while twirling a knife in his hand.

"We all know of the Kings nature. The only moves they make is too defend their territory. We have received no word from the Kings, and that is unlikely to change. Anyways, we will not be going in alone. We will have 3 more Skiff loads of stealth troops, to aid in our assault. We will receive no reinforcements afterwards. This is a hit and run. We break through their defenses, kill the Witch, and run. Got it?" Everyone in the room nodded their head, and went to the armory. I turned and headed to my personal quarters, since my weapons are stashed there, away from the crew armory. I pulled out two shock blades, my shrapnel launcher, my shock pistol, and my personal shield generator. I turned to leave, then stopped. I thought of my shock canon. _We'll need all the firepower we can get_ I thought. I pulled it out, and headed to the deployment center. This was our most dangerous mission yet. And I intended to make it back alive. I made it to the deployment center. My crew was ready. Felik had her shock grenades and mines. Tarkik with his dagger and trusty wire rifle. Mekas with his trusty shock blades. And Skolik, carrying his shock rifle, shock dagger, and personal cloaking shield.

"Remember team, we're making a hit and run. We don't have the firepower or supplies necessary for a pro longed campaign. Conserve all ammo and fuel. We will have no Servitor's, so we'll rely on basic medical equipment. Clear?" The crew nodded. The lights started to blink red. We had nearly arrived at our destination.

"Prepare for drop." Everyone began to head to their positions.

"Ready for another suicide mission?" asked Tarkik.

"When am I not?" replied Felik.

"Cut it out. Talk before a fight show's fear." Skolik never was much of a conversationalist.

"C'mon Skol. Lighten up a bit. Do you really want those words to be the ones we remember you by?"

"If it were up too me, I wouldn't talk at all. If you idiots worked and trained just as much as you talk, we could single handedly take out the Hive on this planet's moon."

"Cut it out. The last thing I want to hear before another death defying mission is you two arguing!" I shouted at them. They argued quite a bit. They really did. The Pilot Servitor beeped, and the shipped stopped.

"Alright people, you know what to do. We drop in 3... 2... 1!"


	7. Fatal Blow

(I'd like to apologize for the story being on hold for over a year. Studies, work, and life stuff waylaid this story and my writing in general. However I'm making a fresh start and getting my writing back on track. Here's to another day in utopia)

My hard boots hit the ground. I picked myself up and kept moving. An outlier force of Hive had seen us land and began to fire apon us. I weaved myself through enemy fire, but a couple dregs were not so lucky. I dodge for cover behind a small bump in the ground, and began analyzing the enemy forces. 17 thrall, 7 acolytes, and a knight with a boomer cannon.

"Tarkik! Lay down some covering fire would ya!?" He nodded in response. He climbed to the top of a nearby building and began laying some shots. A thrall went down, then another, and then an acolyte turned to ash in a bright explosion of dust and fire. Several vandals behind me layed down fire with their shock rifles, allowing me and my crew to advance. Mekas drew swords and charged at the thrall.

"Mekas, no!" Felik yelled. He ignored her, and lept at the charging thrall. He slew one with a downward swipe, and decapitated another. One swiped at him with its left claw, but Mekas side stepped and stabbed it in its neck. A thrall surprised him by leaping at his back, catching him and sinking its teeth into a chink in his armor at his left shoulder. Mekas grimaced in the pain, but swung his head back in a headbutt. The thrall stumbled backwards, and Mekas lunged holding his sword in a reverse grip. The blade went straight through the thrall, and it disintegrated in ash. He turned around, and an acolyte was waiting pointing its gun right at him. Before it could fire, it was hit by several shots and collapsed dead. Me and my squad pushed forward shrugging off fire. The Knight was slain by a headshot from Tarkik, and the rest of the preliminary Hive force fled.

" Mekas, that was extremely rash and placed you and your squadmates lives at risk." Mekas shrugged it off and gave a half-hearted look of remorse.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand, I find killing enemies up close and personal far more honourable than with a gun." Tarkik scoffed, and received a quick punch in the shoulder from Skolik.

"What is the casualty report?" I asked.

"3 Vandals and 6 Dregs are dead. Several others suffered minor wounds that only require light treatment." _Damned_ I thought. _We couldn't afford to take any casualties, then just this light excursion gives us dead soldiers? We'll have to push forward with what we have_.

"No matter, we must push on. Reconnaissance puts the witch directing the attack here" I said, pointing to a location on a holomap. "We need to meet up with the other two teams here to execute a pincer attack and take out the commander. Understood?" Everyone nodded in agreement. "Good. We move out now, maximum stealth is suggested and only kill before reaching the rendezvous point when absolutely necessary. Let's move!" My team followed as I moved us out.

We wove our way through the cosmodrome, dodgin hive patrols and moving battle groups. Skolik would occasionally activate his cloaking shield and take out Hive guards. A sense of dread filled me as we heard blaster fire when approaching the rendezvous point. _We must have fallen behind the other teams_ I thought. I quickly rushed our band of 32 soldiers to the clearing to find my suspicions to be true. The other two teams were already engaged with Hive forces.

"Everyone split up! Tarkik, take Felik and Vandals equipped with wire rifles and move to higher ground to provide fire support! The rest of you with me to take out that enchantress!"

"Yes sir!" they all yelled in reply. I quickly began moving towards a position that would give me and my group a key location overlooking the Hive's rear. Once we were in position, I had a clear visual of the Hive witch, Jevagath. I unloaded my shock canon, and took aim.

"Drakiks calling in. I have a clear shot of Jevagath." I said over the comm. I heard one of the other captains yell through the channel.

"Take the shot, we're getting hammered out here!" I reaffirmed my aim, and was about to take my shot when one of my Vandals moved a little too far of the left. Suddenly to our left, 2 Hive Shriekers activated.

"Everyone make for cover!" I yelled diving behind a metal shed. My group scattered as the Hive Shriekers unloaded at us. A vandal went down, then another, and another, then a dreg fell as well. This was not good, the other Hive noticed us and began shooting with shredders and boomers. I noticed Skolik had vanished. I prayed he was simply hiding, and not dead.

"Drakiks! Take those Shrikers out with your Scorch Canon!" I heard Mekas yell. I quickly unhooked it from my shoulder and took aim. I fired a shot and it was a direct hit, but it did not kill the Shrieker. I fired again, but this time it died. It exploded in purple fire, but that was not the end of it. Several purple orbs began to follow me. I ran, and it hit the ground behind me in a massive explosion. 2 Vandals were caught in the ensuing explosion. My shields held keeping the flames from engulfing my and shrapnel from ripping me to shreds, but couldn't stop the kinetic energy. I was flung forward, and slammed into the rusty wreck of a car. My vision blurred, and I felt a pulsing pain in my head. I was able to get to my feet, and barely stumble a few steps before several Hive Shredders hit my shield. I fired a few shots from my shrapnel launcher then hid behind cover.

"Drakiks! Take out the witch now!" yelled Tarkik. I wasn't sure I could do it, but now was not the time for doubt. I offloaded my Shock Cannon and ran towards a clearing where I had a view of the witch shooting blasts at another team. A Hive group before me was blown apart by shock grenades thrown by Felik. A Hive Knight disintegrated disintegrated in yellow flame from a crack shot by Skolik. I was moving to the cliff leading to another hill when a Hive Knight came out of nowhere wielding a Cleaver. It swung at me in an upward cut, and I was thrown backward. The Scorch canon fell behind me, my lost arm still gripping it. I cupped my wound, and the Hive Knight stood above me, holding its Cleaver to decapitate me. Before it could swing, several blasts hit it, and Mekas lunged at it.

"FOR THE DEVILS!" He yelled as he lept at it. One of his blades scratched harmlessly against its armor. The other blade sunk into a chink in its armor on the armpit. The Hive Knight roared in agony, Mekas spun it around and they both tumbled down the cliff. I got back up, grabbed the Scorch Canon, and kept moving. I saw a hive group below me, and I fired a shot from the cannon while jumping. I landed in the ashes of the dead Hive, and climbed the hill. The Hive Shrieker began to fire shots, and I knew my shields wouldn't hold. I took aim and fired at Jevagath, but did not release the trigger. The blast hit her and her shields disintegrated but she remained unharmed. Then the explosive hit her, and I released to trigger the explosion. She blew apart in a glorious explosion. Tarkik roared in celebration, and the other Shrieker was destroyed by a shock grenade. My team and I escaped, and boarded our skiff.

"Today is another glorious victory for the Devils! Today we saved Sepiks Prime!" Mekas roared. The entire skiff shook with the celebration as we hurrahed to our victory. _But we took heavy casualties_ I thought. _Both groups lost many soldiers, and the third was wiped out entirely, but at least Sepiks was saved from the Hive_. I stumbled to the head of ship, and turned on the comm. It exploded with chatter, many panicked voices speaking at the same. After several minutes I walked out, into the main hall. My crew saw me and how shocked I looked.

"What is it, Drakiks?" Felik asked. I slowly raised my head, and looked at what remained of the team.

"A team of Guardians breached our defenses. They took out Sepiks Prime. The House of Devils has fallen."


	8. Flight to the Dawn

The crew stood still in the cabin of our Skiff, the Howler. Felik paced as Skolik sharpened his knife. The ship was cold, powered down to preserve heat, and the air outside was frigid. The wind howled as a winter storm rolled in.

"We cannot simply abandon the House. The Devils need us now more than ever." Mekas was always one for honor and abandoning a House in its time of need brought shame to his heart.

"There is no House, Mekas. We have no Kell, our Archon lay dead, and Sepiks Prime is a pile of wreckage. It's only a matter of time before order in the House collapses and we all starve to death."

"You are a coward, Tarkik. You have always run at the first sign of danger, not a shred of loyalty in your black soul."

"I stayed with you despite the death of the Archon. I will not stay further. Our House is splitting apart at the seams. There is no hope left. The best we can do now is run and find somewhere else."

"You skinny, slimy worm. You would just as soon let us all be gutted to save your own skin!" Tarkik stepped forward. "Are you insulting me, Mekas?" Mekas stood up from his seat in challenge. "And what if I am? Want to take a shot at me with your pathetic gun of yours?" Few insult Tarkik's rifle and live to tell the tale. Tarkik swung his two right arms in a hook, striking Mekas in the jaw. The two began to fight, punching and kicking and throwing each other to the ground. This went on for several seconds before I intervened. I threw Mekas against the wall, and smashed Tarkiks head against the floor.

"Enough!" I yelled. Both slowly got on their feet. "We do not have time to argue and squabble amongst each other. The House is dying, yes. We have our ship, and each other." Skolik looked up from his dagger and stared at me with his bright blue eyes.

"And what are you suggesting we do, Drakiks?" Skolik knew where I was headed, but wanted to hear it be said aloud. I shrugged.

"We leave the House and go on our own." Silence in the room. Mekas glared at me. Tarkik gave a half grin. Felik continued tinkering with a pulse grenade. Skolik went back to sharpening his knife.

"I never thought you would be the one to agree with Tarkik. Abandoning our House is a disgrace, and admittance that we have been defeated by not just the Hive, but those thieves and demons called Humans." Mekas continued to glare, his face in a furious grimace. I glared back.

"You are correct, and we have been beaten." Skolik stopped sharpening his blade, and Felik ceased tinkering. The silence was deafening.

"At every turn, the Humans have bested us. They defeated us when we assaulted their Last City twice. They killed our Kell, our Archon, and now our Prime Servitor. The Barons are already vying for control, which will inevitably lead to civil war. Without strong leadership the remining forces will be scattered and the entire Cosmodrome will be flooded with Guardians. Staying will only ensure we are caught in the bloody aftermath, a decision we may pay for with our lives. Leaving a lost cause will ensure our survival. My duty was to my House, but my crew comes first and foremost. We will gather what supplies and equipment we can muster, take a few who will prove useful in our journey, then leave this accursed world." My crew members looked around each other. Some nodded to each other in agreement. Others glared at each other in disapproval. It mattered not to me. A decision had been made, and nothing would change my mind's course. Felik stood up, then gestured to me.

"Well alright then. We'll gather our supplies and make a break for orbit. Lets hope a human vessel doesn't spot us and shoot us down. Alright people let's get moving, 3 hours to departure." Everyone began exiting the ship to gather supplies and materials. Felik stayed behind.

"Any reckoning on where we're headed?" She asked. I grunted and gave a shrug.

"Not yet. But we'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, we focus on making it out of orbit unnoticed. Prep the ships for launch." She nodded and jumped out of the ship to check the engines and landing gear. I hopped out of the ship to gather the other Vandals and Dregs assigned to my ship. After they all gathered, I checked my time dial on my upper right wrist. _45 minutes to launch_ I thought. _Enough time to visit and old friend_. I began walking to the inner wall. I entered it and wove through several floors to and opening underground. There he stood, still on guard at the entrance in the inner caverns.

"Pelik, old friend" I said while bowing my head. Pelik looked at me, his two inner eyes missing, replaced by an empty socket and scars on his face. His grip on the shock spear tightened.

"Odd to see you around here captain. Only the higher ups and their entourage are allowed down here." I nodded and continued speaking.

"You know as well as I do that the House is collapsing. It's only a matter of time before we're all caught in the power struggle." Pelik narrowed his eyes into a glare.

"And you've come to elicit my help?" I shook my head, to his disappointment.

"On the contrary, we're leaving the planet. We're going to strike out on our own. I've come to bring you with us." Pelik lowered his head, seemingly in sadness.

"And why would you want my help?" He asked.

"Because you have a fiery spirit, and your persistence in the face of setbacks. I believe your character and personality is something we need on the ship." Pelik did not raise his head.

"That is not why you came here." I became nervous that he was seeing through my façade.

"Then please enlighten me as to why I came."

"You came because you pity me. You blame yourself for my injury, and for what I have become. You don't believe I would survive, and thus you have come to save me. Am I wrong?" I lowered my head, confirming his suspicions to be true.

"It does not matter why I came for you. All that matters is that I came here, and we finally have an opportunity to escape from under the boot of the Devils. Isn't that a chance you'd be willing to take?" Pelik looked at me, then put his hand on my shoulder.

"How right you are, my old friend. You haven't led me astray yet, and there's no reason to believe you will yet. Let us leave this place." I grabbed his shoulder and we both started to leave. After we emerged from the underground to be bewildered by the sight of armor-clad soldiers rushing past us to the North as alarms blared.

"What is going on?" Pelik asked.

"I do not know, let us find out." I grabbed a soldier rushing by.

"What is going on?" I asked.

"It's Baron Velgus. He's come down from the North claiming to be the rightful Kell. Baron Belok is assembling all forces in the area to meet him. You better get moving, for he soon will be apon us." The soldier quickly took off. I checked my timer. _15 minutes to launch_ I thought.

"We need to move, NOW!" We quickly broke into full sprint, rushing to make it to our Skiff. We reached the landing zone to find our ship about to take off. A ramp lowered, and there was Mekas waving towards us.

"Come on!" he yelled. I threw Pelik onboard, then climbed on myself. I quickly moved to the cockpit where the pilot servitor and Felik were waiting.

"You got here just in the nick of time boss. Everyone else wanted to take off." I gestured my thanks, then strapped myself into my seat.

"Get us into orbit" I said.

"Aye aye, captain" she replied. The ships engines activated, and the Howler roared to life. I could feel my chest pressed in my seat as the ship pointed upwards and shot into the atmosphere. I could feel cold flood into my system as my body's ether regulator pumped my system with painkillers. I monitored the ships speed, and we were pressing 5 G's straight against the planet's gravity. Suddenly a load boom shredded through the ship, and the hull shook violently.

"What's going on?" I asked. Felik grimaced.

"Velgus's forces are firing shots at us. Don't worry, we're too high up for them to be accurate. It won't matter, in a few moments we'll be outside their range." The wind resistance eased as we began to break through the lower atmosphere and towards space. A few minutes later, we reached top velocity and broke into space. Felik flipped a switch, and the ship's cloaking device coated the ships surface. Felik eased the engines as we had already reached orbit. I felt weightless in my seat before the servitor activated the artificial gravity. We had made it off the desolate, blue ball called Earth. No we needed to figure out where to next.


End file.
